The works of Giuseppe Verdi are the backbone of Mr. Youngblood’s repertoire. He is pleased to begin his 2023-2024 opera season with performances of the title role of Rigoletto, and to conclude it with a role debut as Jack Rance in La Fanciulla del West. Chamber music performances this upcoming season include concerts in his hometown of Wilmington, and song recitals in Philadelphia.
“Baritone Grant Youngblood had a full and resonant sound, rich and legato but with the text clearly enunciated.”
Mr. Youngblood has performed with numerous major and regional opera companies, including The Metropolitan Opera (Capriccio), San Francisco Opera (Sharpless in Madama Butterfly), New York City Opera (Scarpia in Tosca, title role of Don Giovanni, Sharpless, Germont in La Traviata, Escamillo in Carmen); Virginia Opera (the title role of Rigoletto), Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore, Germont, Silvio in I Pagliacci); Florida Grand Opera (Silvio, Rigoletto, Ashby in La Fanciulla del West); Opéra de Montréal (Amonasro in Aïda, Michele in Il Tabarro); Dayton Opera (Amonasro, Iago in Otello); Austin Lyric Opera (Germont); Washington National Opera (Dappertutto in Les contes d'Hoffmann); Glimmerglass Opera (Thoäs in Iphigénie en Tauride); and Central City Opera (John Proctor in The Crucible, Germont, Sharpless, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Horace Tabor in The Ballad of Baby Doe, Olin Blitch in Susannah; the Four Villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann); Opera Theater of St. Louis and Madison Opera.
Among his other engagements in the 2021/2022 season Mr. Youngblood performs his signature role of Germont in La Traviata for Opera Southwest, returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago to cover the role of Scarpia, makes a company debut at Opera Philadelphia, and performs and records new chamber music by composer Jennifer Margaret Barker.
Mr. Youngblood’s 2023/24 season includes a return to Virginia Opera to perform the role of Sharpless in a new production of Madama Butterfly; performances of the title role of Rigoletto in a co-production at Opera Delaware & Opera Baltimore; chamber music performances with the Delaware Symphony, and the Navo Ensemble in Omaha; and a return to Central City Opera in his role debut as Jack Rance in La Fanciulla del West. Upcoming performances in 2024/25 include performances as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly for Florentine Opera and Kentucky Opera, song recitals and concert performances in Wilmington and Philadelphia, performances of Rigoletto for Pacific Opera Victoria and Eugene Opera, and the world premiere performance of the new opera Shell Shaker by Chickasaw composer Jerod Tate.
Concert engagements have included appearances with the Dallas Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Florida Philharmonic, the Chautauqua Symphony, the Louisville Orchestra, the Naples Philharmonic, the Delaware Symphony, the Jacksonville Symphony, the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, and the Bucharest Philharmonic, among others. Mr. Youngblood has been praised as well for his exceptionally expressive artistry in recital, with appearances throughout the United States.
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“Grant Youngblood played an ice-cold Scarpia.... [with] a
fantastic ability to project sinister drama.”
https://www.csmusic.net/content/articles/inside-the-industry-summer-programs/
Some suggestions for opera stage directors, courtesy of Parterre Box and Mr. James Jordan…